How many times has Rafael Nadal been defeated at the French Open? Looking into the rare instances of his loss in Paris

There aren't enough superlatives to describe Rafael Nadal's impressive record at the French Open. Year after year, he has crushed his rivals on the red dirt to establish his supremacy. However, the Spaniard is human after all and has suffered a handful of defeats on his turf, three to be exact.

Nadal captured his maiden title at the French Open way back in 2005, that too on his tournament debut. He went on to win the title the following three years as well. His winning ways came to an end in 2009 when he was defeated by Robin Soderling in the fourth round, his first-ever loss in Paris.

The Spaniard rebounded quite well the following year and avenged his loss to Soderling by defeating him in the final of the 2010 French Open. He hoisted the Coupe des Mousquetaires every year until 2014 after that.

2015 marked the beginning of a lean period in Nadal's career. Despite that, he remained the favorite to win the French Open that year. However, he suffered a straight-sets loss to arch-rival Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. It marked just his second defeat at the venue.

Nadal's form didn't improve much in 2016 and was besieged by injuries as well. He made it to the third round of the French Open, but withdrew prior to his match against Marcel Granollers due to a left wrist injury. Since it was a walkover, it doesn't count as an official loss in his stats.

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Rafael Nadal has lost just one match at the French Open since 2017

Rafael Nadal at the 2017 French Open.

2017 marked the beginning of a career renaissance for Rafael Nadal. After a tough couple of years, he rediscovered his form. He finished as the runner-up at the Australian Open and the Miami Open at the start of the season.

Nadal dominated the clay swing, winning three titles in the lead up to the French Open. Having not triumphed in Paris since 2014, the Spaniard went on to win his 10th title at the venue and his 15th Grand Slam title overall. By doing so, he surpassed Pete Sampras' haul of 14 Major crowns.

Nadal defended his title successfully over the next three years. His third defeat in Paris came at the hands of Novak Djokovic in 2021. The Serb bested his long-time rival in the semifinals and went on to lift the trophy as well.

Nadal was back in the winner's circle the following year, capturing his 14th French Open title. Following his latest feat, his record in Paris stood at 112 victories against three losses.

This year's French Open marks the first time in a while where Rafael Nadal won't be the outright favorite to go all the way. He has been sidelined since this year's Australian Open, where he injured himself during his second-round defeat.

However, the Spaniard has staged plenty of improbable comebacks in the past and will be hoping to do so once again.